NEW YORK (AP) — Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball's home run record in 1998.McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade.

"I wish I had never touched steroids," McGwire said in a statement. "It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era."

TEXT: McGwire's statement on steroidsMcGwire also used human growth hormone, a person close to McGwire said, speaking on condition of anonymity because McGwire didn't include that detail in his statement.

McGwire's decision to admit using steroids was prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, his final big league team. Tony La Russa, McGwire's manager in Oakland and St. Louis, has been among McGwire's biggest supporters and thinks returning to the field can restore the former slugger's reputation.

"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come," McGwire said. "It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected."

He became the second major baseball star in less than a year to admit using illegal steroids, following the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez (FSY) last February.

Others have been tainted but have denied knowingly using illegal drugs, including Barry Bonds (FSY), Roger Clemens (FSY), Sammy Sosa (FSY) and David Ortiz (FSY).

Bonds has been indicted on charges he made false statements to a federal grand jury and obstructed justice. Clemens is under investigation by a federal grand jury trying to determine whether he lied to a congressional committee.

"I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids," McGwire said. "I had good years when I didn't take any, and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids, and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry."

Big Mac's reputation has been in tatters since March 17, 2005, when he refused to answer questions at a Congressional hearing. Instead, he repeatedly said "I'm not here to talk about the past" when asked whether he took illegal steroids when he hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1998 or at any other time.

"After all this time, I want to come clean," he said. "I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I'll do that, and then I just want to help my team."

The person close to McGwire said McGwire made the decision not to answer questions at that hearing on the advice of his lawyers.

McGwire disappeared from the public eye following his retirement as a player following the 2001 season. When the Cardinals hired the 47-year-old as coach on Oct. 26, they said he would address questions before spring training, and Monday's statement broke his silence.

"I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 offseason and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again," McGwire said in his statement. "I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season."

McGwire said he took steroids to get back on the field, sounding much like the Yankees' Andy Pettitte (FSY) two years ago when he admitted using HGH.

"During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years," McGwire said in the statement. "I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years, and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too."

Since the congressional hearing, baseball owners and players toughened their drug program twice, increasing the penalty for a first steroids offense from 10 days to 50 games in November 2005 and strengthening the power of the independent administrator in April 2008, following the publication of the Mitchell Report.

"Baseball is really different now — it's been cleaned up," McGwire said. "The commissioner and the players' association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I'm glad they did."

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I lived in Modesto, CA, the home of the Single A Modesto A's. The home of McGuire, Conseco and many others that went to the Bigs.

I was a member of the booster club. We used to have Bar-B-Qs for the players as the majority of the players were living on nearly minimum wage.

Everyone of the male fans hated Conseco as he was already bulging with muscles and I have to admit he was very good looking. Problem was he was after every wife, girlfriend or daughter.

In other words the guy was an azz.

As for Mcguire, he was about 6'4" and weighed about 170lbs. A stick man in anybody's book.

With his signing bonus he got himself a brand new white Toyota Supra and had plates that said Olympics. He played 3rd base for the gold metal Olympic team. I think.

He and Conseco would not associate with the other players or the coachs.
I know because I went to the bar after the games with most of the players and coaches. You wouldn't believe how many times we got kicked out. The locals hated the players with a passion. Most of them were really good people.

Bottom line is that anybody who saw those 2 azzholes play in the minors knew witout a doubt knew that they were juiceing.

Maybe the statut of limitations ( or whatever it's called) is up so BigMac can't get in trouble for admitting that he lied to Congress.

I loved to watch him hit in the Bigs, but he is still a lying azzhole.

Just in....Tony Larussa's dream is to have Mac come back to ST Louis as a pinch hitter.

Is anybody going to be saverely punished for this. They may not get into the HOF but they still earned millions of dollars as an after affect of doing Steroids. I Tried Roids for about 3 months. I went from benching 160 to 320 in 3 months. The side affects sucked

Every pro athalet that is caught doing roids should have to pay a large fine that would go into a fund to teach our you people that that's not the way to go.

It works but is very dangerous to your health and the way you treat other people (roid rage) is very common and very dangerous.

Sorry for the rant but these fers piss me off. And I've seen it for myself.

January 11th, 2010, 6:00 pm

Yzermanx3

Walk On

Joined: April 5th, 2006, 5:04 pmPosts: 400Location: Rosebush Michigan

Tell us somthing we didnt know Mark.... I'll give the guy props for coming clean but saying he did it to help heal instead of becoming stronger is a bunch of BS.

_________________waiting for 2010 season.....

January 13th, 2010, 6:36 pm

aManNamedSuh

Heisman Winner

Joined: July 14th, 2005, 11:58 amPosts: 817

jomo269 wrote:

Will he now be charged with lying to Congress?

He didn't lie, so no he will not be charged. He said he didn't want to discuss the past.

January 13th, 2010, 9:31 pm

Pablo

RIP Killer

Joined: August 6th, 2004, 9:21 amPosts: 9596Location: Dallas

I could care less about baseball, can't stand the game. Way too slow. I tried to watch a bit of the world series and in the one inning I saw they came out to the mound 7 times to talk to the pitcher. Now this was one of the top pitchers in the league, I'm sure he has pitched since he was knee high. Seriously? Isn't the game slow enough. Then I simply tuned back out.

Just imagine if on one series in football they came out to chat with the QB 7 times. The head coach comes out after a play to talk to him. Then the OC. Then a WR. Later some OL. Crazy.

And for perhaps the most statistically driven game of all, there in no level playing field. No salary cap for one. Players on the juice for two. And the fields, unlike any other sport I know, all have different dimensions. Doesn't that skew the statistics anyways.

Imagine football fields of different lengths and widths. Goal post in different spots. Imagine basketball hoops all at different heights.

There is a million other things I can't stand about baseball, just don't get it at all. What a beating.

Big shocker here... What a non-story of a story this is... A guy that everyone knows did steriods comes out and finally says that he did... I'm just surprized that he was so weepy about the whole thing. This dood has no spine at all. He couldn't even maintain some stupid ora of a lie that everyone knew wasn't true... If he were O.J. he would have cracked the week after the trial!

January 14th, 2010, 12:48 am

jomo269

NFL Team Captain

Joined: January 27th, 2005, 9:12 pmPosts: 1610Location: Midland, MI

WJB, thanks for correcting me about the Congress thing, you are of course correct. Too bad though.

January 14th, 2010, 8:44 am

wjb21ndtown

jomo269 wrote:

WJB, thanks for correcting me about the Congress thing, you are of course correct. Too bad though.

Hey jomo... No big deal, but that was RRR...

January 14th, 2010, 2:25 pm

jomo269

NFL Team Captain

Joined: January 27th, 2005, 9:12 pmPosts: 1610Location: Midland, MI

Just notice that, sorry. Maybe I should check my blood sugar or have a beer

January 14th, 2010, 2:38 pm

aManNamedSuh

Heisman Winner

Joined: July 14th, 2005, 11:58 amPosts: 817

jomo269 wrote:

Just notice that, sorry. Maybe I should check my blood sugar or have a beer

No worries, I suggest the beer, it's much better than having to prick yourself.